21st Century Ninja
by Cinderfern
Summary: Lloyd Garmadon is a bored college student - until she decides to start a BrickTube channel. As she gains followers online and makes friends in person, will she be able to keep her life as a ninja a secret? And how will her double life affect her relationships - and her safety? (Female Lloyd! Rated T for mature themes - a college story, but generally should be pretty appropriate)


**21st Century Ninja**

 _Well, hello there, friends!_

 _To say it's been a while since I posted would be an understatement. I apologize for my absence - I have missed writing so much! After over a year of wanting to get back into writing, I've finally decided to start again. In fact, I came up with the idea for this story last night, while I was vacuuming and daydreaming. I was just imagining that this was my life - that I was actually a YouTuber who is secretly a ninja - and I was like, hey, I should write a story about that! So, here goes!_

 _This is going to be semi-related to my life. I'm not really a YouTuber, and I'm not a ninja (or, so I have to tell you), but I am a college freshman who doesn't really know what she wants to do with her life. Since I have a lot of free time, I figured that instead of watching YouTube for hours every day, I could take some of that time to write, because I've missed it so freaking much (although, I probably will still spend hours watching YouTube every day)! I also think this will be a good way to express myself, and maybe work through some of the stuff I'm going through. I have found that the Fanfiction community is full of amazing people, and I made so many friends when I was on here in the past...I'd love to reconnect with anyone who remembers me - and make new friends, too!_

 _Because this story is partially based on my life, I am writing from the perspective of the ninja that I consider myself to be, so I will be making Lloyd a female. This is because there is obviously only one girl ninja, and while I absolutely adore Nya, she's not...me...if you get what I'm saying. I've always been Lloyd - my family even calls me Lloyd - so that's who this story is going to be about. Plus, while I am a proud Christian girl, I definitely love all kinds of Ninjago ships, my favorite being Greenflame, and I want to be able to include it in this story without feeling like I'm disappointing God. Absolutely no shame if you don't have a problem with it - I have no animosity towards people of any race, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. I just have made the personal decision to write this way, and I hope it does not offend anyone in any way._

 _I love you all and I hope you enjoy my story! :)_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ninjago or any of the characters. All rights go to LEGO and Warner Bros._

* * *

 **Chapter One**

The sky was hidden behind gray clouds. A blond girl trudged up the steep hill to the farthest dorm away from campus. She scanned her card to unlock the door, and climbed the stairs to the third level. Once she was inside, she walked to her room and climbed onto her bed.

"What am I going to do?" She sighed, frustrated. Her fellow freshmen were loaded down with homework and midterms. As a math major who didn't know what the heck she was going to do with her life, she had significantly less work and more free time. But she didn't appreciate it as much as she could have, because half of the time she was bored out of her mind.

She stared at the ceiling. "Am I the laziest person in the school?" She wondered. This was so different from what she was used to. After several years of being part of a crime-fighting team, her mother had suggested she take a break from living on the flying ship and attend a small private college. Be it training, fighting, or spending time with friends, she had always had something to do. Now she didn't, and something about it just felt wrong.

"I promise you, you're not," a voice replied from outside the door.

The girl slid off the top bunk and rushed over to the door. She opened it to see one of her best friends.

"Hey, Nya!" She said excitedly. "What are you doing here?"

The black-haired girl pulled her blond friend into a hug. "I missed my teammate, Lloyd," Nya answered. "Why else would I make the trek up that ridiculous hill?"

Lloyd's smile faded. "Oh," she said, slightly upset. "I thought maybe…" she trailed off.

"Maybe we need our fearless leader back?" Nya pressed.

Lloyd nodded. "That's what I was hoping."

"Well, Green Ninja, looks like it's your lucky day," Nya said. "We've talked with Wu and Misako, and they agreed that it's a good idea for you to continue to lead our team - while you continue to go to college, of course."

"Well, it took you guys one entire month to figure that out!" Lloyd replied, excited. "But I guess there hasn't been much crime in that time, so I can understand it."

"There hasn't been _any_ crime since you left," Nya corrected. "We were all pretty foolish to think we stand a chance as a team without our beloved Green Ninja."

Lloyd smiled. "What's done is done," she said. "What really matters is that you all came to your senses. When do we leave?"

"Not so fast, Green Machine," Nya said. "Sensei agreed to let you lead the team again, but that's assuming you'll stay in school. We got you this, so we can contact you when there's trouble." She pulled a cell phone out of her bag and handed it to Lloyd.

The Green Ninja took the phone and inspected it. "Wow, I can't believe you guys sprang for the newest BorgPhone!" She exclaimed sarcastically. "You didn't have to do that!"

Nya rolled her eyes. "I know it's not the nicest, but you'll only need it for emergencies."

"Nya, it's a flip phone."

"A flip phone that will do its job nicely," she said. "Besides, you already have a BorgPhone for personal use. What do you need another one for?"

Lloyd scoffed. "Everyone knows two phones are better than one."

"And now you have two phones," Nya reminded her. "One for your friends, and now one for your _best_ friends. We wouldn't want any of your friends to be able to trace your BorgPhone to find you with the Ninja team, now, would we?"

"Fair enough," Lloyd sighed. She quickly changed the subject. "So, when do I get to fight crime with the team again?"

"As soon as there is crime to be fought, Little Garmadon," she replied.

Lloyd looked at Nya with her big green eyes. "Aww, come on," she pleaded. "There has to be a reason you decided to come now!"

"Alright, you win," Nya said. "While there currently isn't anything to be seriously concerned about, there have been sightings of a strange, shadowy figure in New Ninjago City. We don't know who or what it is, and at first we weren't sure it was anything to worry about. But recently there have been a few robberies around town, and we think the two might be connected."

"So...when do I get to come back?" Lloyd repeated her question.

"Soon, I'm sure," Nya replied. "But for now, just focus on doing well in school, and wait for your fantastic flip phone to ring." She looked around the dorm room, noticing Lloyd's practically blank calendar. "And maybe find a hobby."

The Green Ninja laughed. "I have hobbies!"

"Oh yeah?" Nya asked, crossing her arms. "Like what?"

Lloyd searched for an answer. "Like...uh...dancing? And reading comic books - because I can do that now - and...math…?"

"Mmm-hmm," her raven-haired friend scoffed. She glanced at Lloyd's desk, on top of which sat a journal, makeup box, and several art projects. "You're really creative, Lloyd. Maybe try making BrickTube videos or something."

"Me? A BrickTuber?" Lloyd laughed. "No way!"

Nya shrugged. "Don't knock it 'til you try it." She hugged Lloyd once again. "I gotta go - Jay's taking me out to dinner in an hour. But I'll see you soon, okay?"

Lloyd nodded. "Okay. But you have to tell me something - who's been leading the team since I've been at school?"

"Kai's been trying to," she answered. "But I can tell he misses you more that he's letting on. And we haven't really been doing anything, remember? As soon as there was even a hint of danger, we all realized we need our fearless leader."

"And thank the First Spinjitzu Master you did!" Lloyd said.

Nya smiled. "See you later, Green Machine." She turned and walked down the hallway. "I'll be looking out for your videos on BrickTube!"

"Whatever you say!" Lloyd laughed. She closed her door and turned to her cat, who was laying on her laptop. "Do you think I should make BrickTube videos?"

The cat let out a squeak.

"Is that a yes?"

She got off the keyboard and walked over to her food bowl.

"Or...you just want food, don't you?"

The kitten meowed again.

Lloyd nodded and reached for the cat food. "That's what I thought."

* * *

 _I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review - let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions or ideas. I will probably be using OC's too, so if you want your character to be a college student, a BrickTuber, etc, please let me know! And yes, I do live at the top of a very steep hill, and yes, I do have a cat in my dorm room._

 _Hope to see you all next time, and have a wonderful day!_

 _\- Cinderfern 3_

 _#GodsNotDead :)_


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